St. Landry democrat. (Opelousas, La.) 1878-1894, 1887-10-29
HIS FIANCEE,
Interesting "reminiscences OF John How
ard Payne's Sweetheart.

/ A"'~A S'eAiS "Reminiscences Oh JOnn HOW
ard Payne's Sweetheart.
| Miss Mary Harden ,fiancee of John How
ard Payne and the lady for whom he wrote
his Home, Sweet Home" died in Athens,
| Ga, recently. 1t is claimed that the
original copy of Home, Sweet Home"
was buried with her. as it was interlined
with love declarations from Payne which
the lady did not wish to have fall under
the eyes of the public. She had been
offered large sums for the manuscript,
but always declined to part with it.
Miss Harden passed her seventy eighth
year on her last birthday. Probably not
half a dozen persons outside Athens
knew that the quiet little home on Han
cock avenue held the remarkable lady,
and many residents of Athens even had
lost sight of this aged and unobtrusive
person. Her father was General Harden,
of Savannah. He was wealthy and inf1u-
entail, and prominent in social circles
and in politics. He gave his daughter
every advantage; particularly was she
versed in French, a language which she
maintained with many of the graces of
that life and literature while girl She
was reared in French family, and sub
sequently even learned the use of the
rapier, practicing regularly in fencing ex-
ercises. She spent several years in Eu-
rope, completing her education in Paris,
and experimenting fine training with
the fullness and breadth of travel
While still quite young. her father,
General Harden, was appointed commits
sioner to treat with Cherokee Indians,
and resided in Rome, Ga 1t was here
that a romance entered her life which
gave 1t an interesting co1oring toward
the close of her days, but which did not
affect her at the time.
One of the agents or assistants in this
Indian transaction was John Howard
Payne, young man from New England;
he went to Athens with General Harden,
and met and loved his daughter Mary.
Payne was ardent and pathetic, but the
young girl was not touched by his wooing.
She was clear-headed, sensible, practical,
and does not seem to have cared much
for society, or to have allowed her
thoughts to turn to love. Payne loved
on. He wrote her. Sometimes his appeals
were in verse; always ardent. 1t was to
her that his soul, trouble-rocked and
tempest-tossed, indited those beautiful
words, Home, Sweet Home" The
manuscript Miss Harden preserved and
priced.
When General Harden died at Atlanta
it was found that his estate was involved,
and much of his property swept away.
His daughter went bravely to work with
her French translations and made liv-
ing. She did much work of this sort for
large business houses and translating
diplomatic matters. The French lega-
ton in Washington used to keep her con-
stantly employed. The purity of her
French and the elegance of her English
made her invaluable.
In this way Miss Harden soon acquired
enough to buy back much of her fathers
property. The house in which she died
was one of the places reclaimed by her
indomitable work. She accumulated
competency which sustained her through
life. She was worth about So, 900, and
leaves, besides city property, stocks, bonds
and valuable jewelry. Among the latter
treasures in city bank are some costly
trinkets presented to her by persons of
title and station when she went to Eu-